The smell of Sanji's breakfast—a hearty, sizzling omelet stuffed with spicy sky-sausage and a stack of cloud-fluff pancakes that wobbled like jelly—was still lingering in the air as the group assembled.
It was a strange, eclectic mix of people that stood at the edge of the clearing, a gathering that would have been impossible just twenty-four hours ago.
Straw Hat Pirates, looking energized and ready for trouble. Mont Blanc Cricket and the Saruyama Alliance brothers, Masira and Shojou, looking like they were about to embark on a holy pilgrimage, clutching their shovels like sacred relics.
Wyper and the Shandia warriors, still gripping their bazookas and burn bazookas, but the tension in their shoulders had dropped, replaced by a burning curiosity. And finally, Gan Fall and a handful of Skypieans, looking around the ancient soil of their "God's Land" with new eyes.
"Alright," Ben clapped his hands, the sharp sound drawing everyone's attention away from the last scraps of food. "The stomach raid was fun—and messy—but now it's time for the main event. We're going to find the rest of it. The part Nola didn't eat."
"The rest of what?" Wyper asked, crossing his arms over his tattooed chest. He glanced around the dense jungle. "We know every inch of Upper Yard. We have fought over every tree, every ruin, every stone for four hundred years. There is nothing we haven't seen."
"You know the surface," Ben corrected with a grin, tapping the side of his head. "But islands like this... they have layers, Wyper. Like an onion. Or a very complicated cake. Merry?"
Mini Merry, perched comfortably on Ben's shoulder, whirred to life. Her mechanical eyes shifted from their usual blue to a scanning red, projecting a grid of lasers that swept across the dense jungle floor, cutting through the foliage and mapping the cloud foundation beneath them.
"Initiating deep-scan protocols," Merry chirped, her voice a mix of child-like wonder and cold calculation. "Scanning topographic density... Detecting hollow resonance signatures approximately fifty meters below current sea level. Calculating structural integrity of the Island Cloud foundation... Analysis complete. There is a massive, artificially preserved subterranean cavity directly beneath the eastern sector of the ruins."
"Subterranean?" Gan Fall stroked his long white beard, his brow furrowed. "We always assumed the island cloud was solid until it hit the White Sea. To think there was a pocket beneath us all this time..."
"Let's find out," Ben said, adjusting his coat. "Move out!"
The group trekked through the ancient jungle. It was a fascinating hike; with the war officially over, the Shandians were actually pointing out traps rather than triggering them.
Wyper warned Zoro away from a patch of explosive moss, and a Skypiean child showed Chopper which bugs were tasty and which ones would melt his tongue.
Eventually, they reached the far edge of the Shandora ruins, a place where the Vearth (soil) ended abruptly, giving way to the pure, fluffy expanse of the white Island Cloud.
"Here," Merry pointed a small robotic finger down at the cloud floor. "Target entry point. Structural weakness detected."
"But there is no hole," Usopp pointed out, tapping the cloud with his boot. It was solid as a rock, bouncing his foot back.
"Ben drew the Elder Wand from his coat. The wood hummed with power. "Diffindo."
He slashed the wand downwards in a sharp, precise arc. A beam of violet light sliced through the cloud like a hot knife through butter. The cloud matter sizzled and parted, a perfect, circular hole about twenty feet wide opening up to reveal a dark drop into the whiteness below.
"After you," Ben gestured grandly to the abyss.
Luffy didn't hesitate. "YAHOO!" He jumped in, laughing as he plummeted into the dark.
"Wait for me!" Chopper squealed, shutting his eyes and jumping after him.
One by one, the group leaped into the hole. The slide down was smooth, like a giant water slide made of cotton, thanks to Ben casting a cushioning charm at the bottom to catch everyone safely. They landed in a dimly lit, cavernous tunnel carved directly into the fossilized cloud foundation.
"This... this was here the whole time?" Wyper ran his hand along the cool walls.
Robin observed, holding up a lantern that cast dancing shadows on the walls. "Very old. Compressed over centuries to become as hard as granite. This passage predates the Knock Up Stream's arrival."
They walked in silence, the anticipation building with every step. Cricket was breathing hard, his hands trembling. He knew what was coming. He could feel it in his blood, a resonance that went deeper than logic.
After ten minutes of walking through the damp, cool tunnel, the passage began to brighten. Natural sunlight poured in from a massive opening ahead, blinding them momentarily.
"Light?" Nami blinked, shielding her eyes. "But we're underground. How is there sun?"
"We're under the island," Ben corrected. "But we're still in the sky. Look."
They stepped out of the tunnel and onto a wide ledge. And there, stretched out before them, hidden beneath the layer of Upper Yard like a secret kept by the gods themselves, was the truth.
It was a city.
But not just ruins. It was a sprawling, magnificent metropolis of white stone and ancient architecture that had been sheltered from the war above. Giant bells hung silent in towers, statues of winged humans stood guard over empty plazas, and massive temples stretched out as far as the eye could see. The sunlight filtered down through cracks in the cloud layer above, illuminating the city in shafts of divine light.
"The City of Gold..." Cricket whispered, falling to his knees. The strength left his legs, replaced by a wave of emotion so strong it shook him.
Tears streamed down his face, cutting through the dust of the journey. "It's here... It's really here... Old man... you weren't crazy. You never lied."
Masira and Shojou hugged their boss, bawling their eyes out, their wails echoing off the ancient walls. "BOSS! WE FOUND IT! AAAAAH! THE ROMANCE IS REAL!"
The Straw Hats stared in awe. Even Zoro looked impressed, resting a hand on his sword hilt.
"So this is what they were fighting for," Sanji lit a cigarette, the smoke curling up into the sunlight. "It's beautiful. A city frozen in time."
Ben took out a sleek, modern-looking camera (Stark Tech, obviously) and started snapping high-resolution photos. "Evidence," he muttered. "Big News Morgan would kill for this. This changes history."
"Wait a minute," Nami's voice cut through the emotional moment like a jagged knife. She was looking around frantically, her eyes darting from building to building. "Where is the gold?"
Everyone paused.
"It's called the City of Gold, right?" Nami pointed at a massive pillar. "That's stone. That wall? Stone. That statue? Stone! WHERE IS THE SHINY STUFF?!"
Ben shrugged, not looking up from his camera. "Enel."
"What?"
"Gold is one of the best conductors of electricity in the world," Ben explained casually. "Enel is a lightning human. He probably stripped the city bare years ago to build something for himself. To make a really tacky throne room. He's got an ego the size of the moon, after all."
Nami turned pale. She looked like she was about to have a stroke. Her knees knocked together. "He... he took it? All of it?"
"Probably most of it," Ben nodded. "Maybe left a few scraps."
"THAT THIEF!" Nami shrieked, fire burning in her eyes. "We're going to his base! Right now! Ben, lead the way! We are raiding that lightning jerk's pantry! I don't care if he's God, he owes me interest!"
"Relax, Nami," Ben laughed. "We'll be climbing the Giant Jack beanstalk later anyway. Enel's shrine is up there. If there's any gold left, it'll be there."
"It better be," Nami growled, gripping her climate baton so hard it creaked. "Or I'm turning him into a battery."
"Alright, let's split up," Ben suggested. "We have a few hours before lunch. Explore, take pictures, don't break anything historic. And try not to get lost, Zoro."
"I wasn't going to!" Zoro snapped, already walking in the wrong direction.
The group dispersed. Luffy dragged Usopp and Zoro off to check the outskirts, muttering about adventure, while Nami went to hunt for loose change in the gutters.
Suddenly, a loud shout echoed through the cavern.
"OI! NAMI! I FOUND IT! A HUGE CHUNK OF GOLD!"
Nami, who was busy inspecting a wall for loose gems, froze. Her eyes instantly turned into Berry symbols. A comically large dust cloud formed behind her as she dashed toward Luffy's voice at supersonic speed, knocking over a confused Sanji in the process.
"Move, cook! Treasure calls!" she shrieked, sliding to a halt next to Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro. "Where?! How big is it?! Is it a statue?! A pile of coins?!"
"Look!" Luffy grinned, his eyes sparkling with pure adoration. He held out his hands, cupped gently together. "It's shiny! It's cool! It's worth millions of meat!"
Resting in his palm was a beetle. A very large, very shiny, metallic-gold Hercules Beetle. It clicked its mandibles and waved a leg.
"It's the legendary Golden Hercules!" Usopp gasped, adjusting his goggles. "I've only read about these in the encyclopedia of brave warriors! They say it grants the owner eternal coolness! Luffy, you've found the ultimate treasure!"
"So cool!" Luffy cheered, eyes practically glowing.
Nami stared at the bug. She stared at Luffy. She stared at the bug again. The vein in her forehead throbbed so hard it looked like it might burst.
WHACK!
"THAT IS A BUG, YOU IDIOT!" Nami roared, sending Luffy face-first into the stone floor with a steaming bump on his head. "I thought you found actual gold! Don't call me for insects!"
"But... it's golden..." Luffy mumbled into the floor, carefully shielding the beetle.
"Not that kind!"
While Luffy recovered from his concussion, Usopp led the Saruyama Alliance brothers, Masira and Shojou, into a quieter residential district. The houses here were well-preserved, simple stone structures that spoke of a peaceful life.
Meanwhile, Ben, Robin, Merry, and Chopper headed toward the center of the city, where a massive temple-like structure stood. It looked different from the others—older, more primal, constructed from blocks of stone so large they defied explanation.
They entered the main hall. It was cool and quiet, the air thick with history and a sense of reverence that hadn't faded in four centuries.
"This architecture," Robin whispered, her eyes scanning the walls. "This place is... religious. A place of deep worship."
"Look at the walls," Ben pointed.
The temple had four main walls, each dominating a cardinal direction. And on each wall, a massive, intricate mural was carved into the white stone.
Ben walked to the East Wall.
The carving depicted a blazing sun high in the sky. But it wasn't just a celestial body. The rays of the sun were shaped like outstretched hands, reaching down to the people below.
Beneath the sun, a sea of people were carved into the stone, their hands clasped together, faces turned upward in fervent prayer and joyous dance, worshipping the source of their freedom.
They held drums raised toward the light, caught in a moment of eternal celebration. Their mouths were open in song, their bodies loose and free.
Ben took a picture, his face impassive. So it was recorded here too. Nika. The original concept of freedom.
They moved to the West Wall.
This one was somber. Swirling clouds were carved so deeply into the stone that they seemed to have depth. Rain fell in sheets.
Beneath the downpour, rows of figures stood with their heads bowed, hands cupped to catch the falling water, offering silent prayers of gratitude to the heavens for the gift of life. The carving captured the feeling of relief, of a drought ending, of survival.
Next, the North Wall.
A colossal tree rose from the floor to the ceiling. Its roots were entangled with bones, broken swords, and ruins. But from the branches, new life sprouted. Strange faces peered from the bark—guardians of the forest. Birds circled the crown.
At the base of the tree, humans and animals alike were depicted kneeling side-by-side, placing offerings at the roots, united in their worship of the great guardian. It was a scene of harmony between man and nature.
Finally, the South Wall.
The stone here was darker, almost stained. A massive serpent coiled around the land itself, its body forming mountains and valleys. Its scales were etched with the shapes of continents.
Surrounding the coiled mountains, tiny figures were etched in deep kowtow, their foreheads touching the ground, trembling before the immense power of the land. But where they directed their prayers—the head of the serpent—was gone.
The carving had been chipped away violently, leaving a jagged scar in the stone where the deity's face should have been.
"Why is the face broken?" Merry asked, tilting her head.
"Perhaps the earth once had a god," Robin theorized, touching the broken stone, "and someone wanted to make sure it was forgotten. Or perhaps... the god abandoned the earth."
Ben didn't say anything. He just took more photos. The silence in the temple was heavy, filled with the weight of history that refused to stay buried.
Robin noticed Ben's quiet demeanor. "You know something about this, don't you, Magician-san?"
Ben smiled, putting the camera away. "I know that history is written by the victors, Robin. But stone... stone remembers what ink forgets."
He handed her a spare camera. "Take as many as you want. We'll need them."
They spent the next hour documenting every inch of the temple. Robin was in paradise, deciphering texts that hadn't been read in eight hundred years. Chopper found a carving of a reindeer (or something close to it) and was excitedly showing Merry.
By the time they stepped back out into the sunlight, the sun was high in the sky.
"OY! FOOD!" Luffy's voice echoed from the entrance tunnel, shaking some dust loose from the ceiling.
They made their way back to the regrouping point. Sanji had set up a portable kitchen on a flat stone plaza. Vivi was beside him, wearing an apron and chopping vegetables with expert speed.
"Welcome back," Sanji grinned, flipping a pan. "Lunch is served. We have Sky-Lobster Thermidor and a special Vearth-Vegetable Salad seasoned with ancient spices we found in a pantry!"
"And meat!" Luffy shouted, already eating.
As the crew sat down to eat in the middle of the lost City of Gold, surrounded by the secrets of the world, Ben looked at the photos in his camera.
The Sun. The Rain. The Forest. The Earth.
The pieces were all there. And soon, the world would have to deal with the fact that the Straw Hats were putting them back together.